


What About Us?

by PrinceSkylar



Series: Taking Care Of Things [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Anxiety, Daddy Issues, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Light Angst, Other, Serious Talks, Sibling Bonding, kiba loves his family a lot ok, kibas dad (OC), kibas got some issues, mentions of a past crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 23:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13822098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceSkylar/pseuds/PrinceSkylar
Summary: For a long moment Hana didn't speak, clearing her throat before she finally found the right words. "You're going to go find Dad?""Yeah.""In Suna?""It's where he went when he bailed. I've got the paper that says so."Or rather, Kiba had to tell his sister and mom what he was up to eventually, didn't he?





	What About Us?

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, part 2! So I'm starting to touch a bit more on some of the issues Kiba's been struggling with emotionally. It'll be more in depth as this whole thing progresses, but for now just assume Kibas dad leaving them took quite a toll on him even if he never really knew the guy well.  
> This is tagged as Kiba/Kankuro because, eventually and soon, I'm gonna start diving into that as well.  
> Kiba's dad's name is entirely made up, I didn't have a canon name to work with. His last name is different, obviously, because Kiba in canon has his mom's last last name.

_"He went to Suna?"_

_Sakura nodded, watching him from across the table. "Yeah, that's what the records say. I asked Kakashi if he knew anything else by chance and he said that was all he knew, too. It seems strange that your dad would go to Suna, given the way the tensions between our villages were at the time, but the records are all official. That's the last place we have on record of him living."_

_Kiba sighed a little bit, glancing at the paper in his hands that read:_

_Kenzo Teruhiko:_

_Previous Village Affiliation: **Konohagakure**_

_Current Village Affiliation: **Sunagakure**_

_He looked back at Sakura, lip caught between his teeth. "Thank you...for getting this, I mean."_

_"It's no problem." She assured him. "Kakashi said that if you still want to do this he has no problems giving you clearance for it, but he won't be able to clear a whole team for something like this."_

_"I don't need a team. Just me." Kiba replied._

_"There's a chance he might not be there, you know. The Kazekage would have the records if he moved of course, but I just wanted you to know so you aren't upset if he isn't there." Sakura told him._

_"If he isn't there then I'll see what the Suna records say and go from there."_

_Sakura nodded a little bit. "That's what I figured. Have you told your mother yet?"_

_"Not yet. I'm gonna talk to Kakashi first." He hesitated. "I'm worried she'll be angry. My mom, I mean."_

* * *

Akamaru's pups were a lively bunch, much like Akamaru himself and their mother, an energetic dog that Hana had raised herself in her vet clinic. They made a good pair of parents though, dotting and playful and careful all at once. They were both  _big_  dogs, after all, and Kiba could see how careful they were not to step on their babies. The pups were four weeks old now and they ran around underfoot like it was their sole purpose on this earth. Kiba had taken them outside to run off some steam, leaning back in the grass and stroking their mom's head in his lap as he watched Akamaru roll around with the four yipping dogs.

When he was younger he never considered the idea of Akamaru fathering puppies, mostly because he didn't think he'd find a dog as big as Akamaru to mate him with. Akamaru had gotten so big, after all, almost towering over most of the other dogs. He wasn't sure why he hadn't considered it before though; Akamaru took to fatherhood with far more eagerness than Kiba had expected. It was cute, too. Kiba figured it was the right choice if Akamaru was so happy to do it.

"There the pups are, I was wondering where they ran off to."

Kiba looked over as he watched his sister walk across the yard towards him. She must have left the clinic early, or Kiba had seriously lost tractk of time. The female dog he was petting huffed as she stood up, trotting over to Hana and licking at her hand a few times before she made her way to Akamaru and the pups. Hana sunk down into the grass next to Kiba, leaning back until she was propped up on her elbows. "Letting them run off some energy?"

"Yeah. They had way too much energy to be inside." Kiba nodded, watching as Akamaru let the group of pups tackle him. He snorted softly and looked over at his sister. "What are you doing here? Thought you were working today."

"I left early. I've got some of the others watching the clinic for me." She tilted her head up to squint at the sun for a second. "No plans for you today, either?"

"Nah, but I'm leaving in a couple days." Kiba told her, his smile faltering a little bit. He hadn't really considered telling his sister about his plans. He was actually kind of afraid to. Hana had been closer with their father than Kiba had, she had more memories and time with him than he did. He could probably handle it if he pissed his mom off; he'd done it plenty of times before. But he'd never really pissed off Hana. Just the thought of making his sister angry had his stomach in knots.

"Where are you going?" Hana probed, not at all missing the hesitant expression on Kiba's face. "Is it a mission?"

"Sort of. I'm going to Suna." Kiba nodded, tugging some blades of grass out of the ground. He frowned a little bit and then heaved a long sigh, glancing over at her for a second. "You can't tell Mom, you got it? I gotta be the one to tell her."

Hana's eyes widened a little bit and she sat up in a hurry, turning to face her brother as her eyes narrowed in concern. "I won't say anything, but what are you going to Suna for? Tell me." She demanded.

Hana was staring at him so intensely that Kiba almost regretted saying anything at all. But this was his sister, one of the people he trusted with his whole heart. He stared at the pups that were rolling around in the grass with their parents, while trying to find a way to tell his sister what he was doing. He felt jittery, tugging at more grass as if the grass had personally offended him.

"I'm going to find Dad." The words tumbled past his lips so fast they almost sounded like one word altogether.

Hana heard him though. It was obvious in the way she stiffened, in the way she sat up a bit more and her lips turned down in a small scowl. But that was a quickly fixed expression, the scowl disappearing as she tried to make herself look calm, probably for Kiba's sake. She could probably smell how anxious the topic had him. For a long moment Hana didn't speak, clearing her throat before she finally found the right words. "You're going to go find Dad?"

"Yeah."

"In Suna?"

"It's where he went when he bailed. I've got the paper that says so."

"I see." She fell back into the grass again, a hand rubbing her face as she exhaled quietly. "Why are you looking for him? It's been years, Kiba."

"I know that but I have so many questions, Hana." Kiba insisted as he tossed a handful of grass at his sister, watching it scatter all across her stomach. "Mom doesn't like talking about it. I've only gotten her to tell me about him a couple of times and there's just so much I need to know. Don't you ever wonder why he never came back?"

"Of  _course_  I do." Hana groaned, only sparing the grass on her body a quick glance. "He was our dad, I always wonder why he didn't come back. But...but I've never wanted to go and find him. What if he's nothing like I thought he was as a kid, you know? When you're a kid your parents are like God to you. Everything they do is wonderful and awesome, but then you get older and you realize they're people. And people suck, Kiba."

"I know that."

"Do you?"

"Yes! I know there's a chance he isn't so great but...damn it I don't even remember his face, Hana!" His hands came up to rub at his face, a tired groan slipping past his lips. When he let his hands fall back into his lap, he stared back at the dogs, at Akamaru nuzzling one of his pups gently. "I need to know why he didn't come back. I need to know why he got with Mom and left so easily. I...I have a lot of shit that's been bothering me about myself. Shit that I need to sort out and I think knowing his answers to my questions will help."

Hana frowned, slowly pushing herself up to look at Kiba curiously. "What are you talking about? You're fine, Kiba."

Kiba frowned again, biting the inside of his cheek. These were thoughts he had been steadily avoiding the night they were drinking, thoughts he didn't need to think too hard on when he was drunk. He wasn't drunk now, though. He was sober and wide awake and with his sister. His sister who was staring at him with worry and Kiba was starting to feel suffocated with guilt.

"Kiba, you're shaking." Hana moved closer to him, reaching out to hold his hand in hers.

He  _was_  shaking. He watched his sister grab his hand and then sighed, taking a deep breath. "I've never...been in love with anyone, you know? I had that thing for Hinata back when I was a kid but...but the second I started to realize she would never feel the same my feelings totally died. It was like the second something didn't go my way I didn't want it and I...I keep wondering if that's how it was for dad. If he loved Mom up until she didn't live up to some image of her he made up in his mind. I keep wondering if he loved her at all and I'm just...I..."

When Kiba trailed off Hana nodded a little, sliding up next to him to wrap her arm around his shoulders. "If you're worried something is wrong with you because of him, Kiba, you're wrong. We don't inherit our parent's dumb choices, we just live with them. You're fine the way you are. Who cares if you haven't been in love yet, huh? Dad has no affect on that. You just have to meet the right person. There's not a  _damn_  thing wrong with you."

Leaning into his sister Kiba sucked in a sharp breath, resting his head on her shoulder. "I just feel so mixed up about all of this. There's just...a lot I need to get cleared up. Putting my own feelings aside I need to do this for you. You deserve to know why he didn't come back. And...Mom deserves to know too, I think. To know if he loved her as much as she loved him."

"You're such a nice guy." Hana mumbled, resting her cheek on the top of Kiba's head. "I won't...tell Mom or anything. But I don't know how she'll react when you tell her. It's like you said, she doesn't talk about it. If you ask me though I think it was pretty hard on her, at least for a while."

"Me too." Kiba nodded a little bit. It'd been a while since he and Hana had a talk like this. It'd been even longer since his sister had to comfort him during a talk, too. Kiba felt a little sick to his stomach with guilt. Guilt, mostly, for making his sister worry about him in the first place. Hana already had enough to worry about, she didn't need Kiba's issues clogging up her mind when she had her own life.

He pulled away from his sister and pushed himself to his feet, stretching and feeling his back pop in a few places. "Thanks, Hana. For not saying anything and listening to me."

"Anytime, Kiba." She looked up at him, offering him a gentle smile, the same smile she used to give him when she'd tuck him into bed when he was young and their mother was gone. "Just brace yourself in case she isn't very happy."

"Eh, I can deal with her when she's angry. Wouldn't be the first time I've pissed her off."

* * *

There wasn't enough mental preparation for this talk, if he were being honest. He was going over every possible way to bring it up and each imaginary scenario just made his anxiety worse. Sitting at the table at dinner, with Hana knowing what he had planned and his mom having no clue, was driving him half insane. He could just say nothing and leave in a few days. The mission was set and official already. Kakashi had given him all the paper work needed to prove he was a shinobi on a mission once he got to Suna. But he wasn't leaving for three more days and in Konoha hardly  _any_  secret stayed a secret that long. His mom would kill him if she found out from anyone other than Kiba himself what he was doing.

He was glad he was able to at least eat dinner normally enough, even if he was quieter than he usually was. Hana seemed to take that as her cue to come to his rescue, keeping their mom occupied with talk about her clinic, the dogs, and anything else that popped into her mind. God, Kiba was so glad he had such a great older sister. He made a mental note to buy her flowers before he left. Hana deserved all the pretty things in the world.

Kiba jumped at the chance to help his mom with dishes and Hana gave him one firm, encouraging nod before she left to go take care of the dogs before they all got put away for bed. With just his mom now in the kitchen, drying the dishes she washed and setting them aside on the counter, Kiba found himself stumped on how to start the conversation. His mom was in such a good mood, if he ruined it he'd be up all night hating himself.

God, he was so fucking bad at serious conversations.

"What's the matter?"

Tsume's voice startled him, made him almost drop the plate he was drying off. "What?"

"You barely said a word at dinner. You usually have a lot to say." Tsume told him, glancing over at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. "So what's the matter?"

"I'm just distracted." It felt like an honest enough answer. "I've got a mission coming up in a couple of days. Been thinking about it a lot. I'm going to Suna for it."

"Suna?" Tsume echoed, nodding a little bit. She passed a glass to him carefully. "What's got you so distracted by it? Is it a big mission?"

"...Yeah, technically." Kiba, at least, felt that it was. It was a big and daunting mission in his eyes.

"Are you gonna be fighting someone? Is that why you're all jittery?" She probed, scrubbing away on another plate. "You can take whatever asshole tries to come after you, so don't you go worrying about fights."

He couldn't stop himself from laughing, something warm settling in his bones at his mom's praise. "It's not a fight. There's no fighting...I mean I don't expect any, at least. It's nothing like that."

"No?" She hummed softly, handing him the plate when he was ready. "What is it, then? You've never been this anxious looking before a mission. It's gotta be something serious."

"Well...I'm gonna be looking for someone." He wanted to run and hide all of a sudden. That wouldn't help anything, though.

"Yeah?" Tsume grinned a bit. Kiba wasn't really sure why she liked hearing about his missions so much. He chalked it up to parental pride and didn't mind that at all. "This person bad or something?"

"Ah...I mean maybe." He scoffed and sighed, setting down his drying rag and leaning against the counter as he looked at his mom. He watched her for a second, took in the smile on her lips and the gleam in her eye, the one she got when Kiba knew she was proud of him. Dear god, he wasn't ready to ruin his mom's good mood.

"I'm going to look for Dad."

Tsume's head jerked around to look at him, her eyes slightly widened. She didn't say anything right away, the water still running and Kiba staring right back at her, inwardly screaming. Damn, why had Hana gone outside? She would have been great to have here during this conversation. He glanced away, scratching at the counter with a nail while he tried to assure himself that his mom's pause wasn't...an  _awful_  sign. When he finally glanced back at her, Tsume stared at him for another second before her expression shifted, changed to something more neutral.

She looked back at the sink as she turned the water off, drying her hands on her shirt slowly. "You're gonna go look for your dad, huh?"

"Yeah." He replied, crossing his arms as he watched her. "Are you mad?"

"Mad?" She scoffed and looked at him again, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of her lips. "No I'm not mad, Kiba. I'm surprised but I'm not mad at you." She ran a hand through her hair as she leaned against the counter next to her son. "Worried, too, I guess. But you're a grown man, Kiba; you can do whatever you want and I really can't stop you."

"Do you want to?" He asked her, his voice softer this time. "Want to stop me, I mean?"

Tsume heaved a heavy, tired sigh as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I do."

Well, he wasn't really sure what to think about that. He'd considered the fact that she'd want him to not go but he hadn't planned for such a calm reaction, or such an honest one. He had anticipated yelling and maybe a couple of fists slammed into the counter. This whole calm exterior, the softer tone of voice, it all made him feel weird. He felt like he'd just been introduced to a side of his mom he hadn't seen since he was a little kid, still carrying around stuffed animals and begging to be picked up.

"Why don't you want me to go?" He murmured after a moment of silence. "Are you that mad at him?"

"Me not wanting you to go has nothing to do with my own feelings in the long run, Kiba." She told him. She pushed off the counter and gestured for him to follow her as she made her way out of the kitchen. He followed her without question, letting her lead the way to the back porch, where they could see the last slivers of sunlight disappearing. He sat down next to her and Tsume took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Her tone was different when she spoke again, a tone Kiba couldn't really place. It sounded tired, and sad, like she was letting years worth of emotion seep into her words. "Moms wanna protect their kids, you know? That's what I've done ever since you and Hana were born. I've done everything I could to protect you and raise you."

"You did fine doing all of that." Kiba cut in gently, nudging the woman with his elbow a little bit. "We turned out alright."

"You turned out great." She assured, shaking her head. "But I'm worried about you doing this. I know how boys like to idolize their dads, especially when they don't have a lot of negative traits to consider. I know how you get yourself all hyped up for stuff and I just don't want you to get your hopes up if he ends up being an entirely different guy than you think he is. He certainly wasn't the man  _I_  thought he was, when it came down to it."

Kiba didn't know much about the dynamic his mom and dad had. From what Hana had told him, their parents had seemed so in love with each other that it was almost too much to look at. She said that their mom had a certain smile around their dad that she'd never seen her have around anyone else. Kiba himself couldn't remember a lot about his parents together, aside from a few memories of them playing together in the yard. Even those memories, though, were blurry and out of focus. He wished, just a little, that he had some sort of negative memory of his dad aside from him leaving, something that could help him understand his mom's hesitance better.

"I don't really have an image of him in my mind. That's another reason why I want to do this." He explained, watching as fireflies started to float near the grass in the yard. They danced around, not a care in the world, and Kiba felt kind of envious suddenly. "I can't really remember his face even though I've seen the pictures in the box. I don't remember his voice. His laugh I remember, but that's it. I just...feel like I have to do this. I'm sorry if it hurts you or if it's something you don't like."

"Don't be sorry. If you wanna go then go, Kiba." Tsume's hand ruffled her son's hair gently. "Just don't get your hopes up. I know I didn't help much when it came to knowing your dad, but I figured that if the bastard could walk out on us so easily I didn't have any reason to talk about him at all. I didn't want to, either. But if this is something that's gonna make you happy, or help you start being happy, then go for it. I'm not gonna stop you."

Kiba let out a soft laugh as he leaned into his mother's touch. Tsume's hand didn't move away from his hair, her fingers starting to stroke through his brown locks gently like they did when he was a kid and was sick. It was a tender gesture, something she didn't do often, especially now that he was an adult. But it made the knot in his stomach settle and relax for the first time since Sakura had offered to dig up his dad's location. "Thanks, Mom. For everything."

"Don't start thanking me or I'll start crying. I'm too sentimental now that I'm old." Tsume snorted, but she pulled Kiba into a one armed hug, nose pressed into his hair as she kissed the top of his head. "Thank you for telling me, though. Clearly you were scared to say anything. I'm glad you did."

Kiba was glad too.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos? Comments? anything?  
> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://my-tatteredwingsof-freedom.tumblr.com/)


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